Soccer Nostalgia

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Saturday, February 17, 2018

The
1993 edition of the Copa America took place in Ecuador in the summer of 1993.
Similar to the 1989 Edition, the games preceded the World Cup qualifiers by
just weeks and naturally the participating Nations had the World Cup in the
back of their mind.

The
relative small Nation (in footballing terms) Ecuador had spent Millions of
Dollars in refurbishing six Stadiums and in infrastructure to host these games.

This
would be the first Copa with seven grounds and six venues.

Photo
From: El Grafico Number 3847, 1993

(Copa
America logo)

Most
notably the Nation’s President Sixto Duran Ballen appeared to have a vested
interest in the success of these games.

The
1993 Edition of the Copa America presented a new novelty. To increase interest
and (obviously revenue), two CONCACAF nations were invited to participate.

Photo
From: Historia de la Copa America

(Ecuador President Sixto Duran Ballen)

The
USA and Mexico would be the first “guests” in the history of the Tournament.

The
Mexicans had already qualified for the 1994 World Cup and came at the games
without any undue stress. They were captained by the former Real Madrid great
Hugo Sanchez (nearly 35 years old).

Their
goalkeeper was Jorge Campos, the man with colorful jerseys, who could also play
as a forward.

The
United States were to host the 1994 World Cup and these games presented an
excellent opportunity for their Manager, the Yugoslav Bora Milutinovic to test
out players in much needed competitive Tournament environment (in a Nation with
still no Professional League of its own).

He
chose not to select some of his foreign-based regulars such as John Harkes,
Eric Wynalda, Thomas Dooley and Roy Wegerle and starting goalkeeper Tony Meola
was along with the squad but only as a substitute and would see no action.

For
the host Nation Ecuador, this Copa America presented an ideal stage to display
the progress made under their long serving Manager Dusan Draskovic (present in
1989 and 1991 Copas).

The
hosts felt with the home crowd support, they could advance further than they
ever had before.

In
contrast to the hosts the other Nations did not present their full strength
squads. As mentioned earlier, the World Cup qualifiers were the priority and
many were open in that regard.

The
key players were saved for these two objectives and Parreira instead preferred
to use the Copa America for experimental purposes to try out younger players.
Goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel would be the only foreign-based player. The rest of
the squad comprised of mostly Sao Paulo and Palmeiras players. These included a
young up and coming left back named Roberto Carlos. Apart from Taffarel, Parreira
selected few veterans. The most notable one,
1986 and 1990 World Cup veteran Luis Muller.

Aregntina,
the Defending 1991 Copa America Champions, under Manager Alfio Basile appeared
as strong as ever. They were still undefeated in three years and had won the
‘King Fahd Cup’ and the ‘Artemio Franchi Cup’ in the preceding months.

Up
to 13 of the 1991 Copa winners were still present in the current squad. The
1991 Edition had launched Gabriel Batistuta in the International spotlight and
he had confirmed his status by knocking in goals for Fiorentina and the
National Team with regularity since.

They
would have two key absences. AS Roma based striker Claudio Caniggia had been
banned for failing a Drug Test and his suspension would end just before the
1994 World Cup in a year’s time. In addition, Argentinean super-star Diego
Maradona had been re-integrated in the National Team a few months before, but
he would be unavailable for this Tournament as his head was elsewhere as
disciplinary issues with his club Sevilla would eventually lead to him being
fired as a player.

Argentina
was nevertheless a solid side captained (once again in Maradona’s absence) by
Oscar Ruggeri along with 1990 penalty kick saving hero Sergio Goycoechea and
Diego Simeone among others.

Colombia,
with Pacho Maturana back at the helm were still loyal to their ‘toque’ playing
style of attractive play. The backbone of the squad was still intact with Carlos Valderrama skippering the side
ably assisted by the likes of Leonel Alvarez and Freddy Rincon. There were some
notable changes, eccentric goalkeeper Rene Higuita was out of the picture, as
he was arrested after he had acted as a go between in a kidnapping incident.
The new goalkeeper was Oscar Cordoba, who was not a personality like his predecessor
but was considered a solid, sober type (definitely not prone to run out of his
goal-line ‘a la Higuita’).

The
new personality of the team was Faustino Asprilla. He had finished an excellent
season in Italy with Parma and was billed as the team’s new Superstar.

Just
like the 1991 Edition (that they hosted), Chile had no World Cup qualifiers to
look forward to as they were barred from participating in the 1994 World Cup
(following the 1989 firecracker incident at Rio involving goalkeeper and Captain
Roberto Rojas).

Their
Manager in 1991, Arturo Salah was still in charge of a side dependent on the
goalscoring prowess of Ivan Zamorano (now at Real Madrid).

For
Uruguay not much had changed since 1991. Their Manager Luis Cubilla was still
embroiled in his feud with the foreign-based players (Enzo Francescolli, Carlos
Aguilera, Ruben Sosa, Daniel Fonseca, etc).

Cubilla
was also at odds with Paco Casal, the personal manager of most Uruguay star
players.

As
far as Sosa, his club Internazionale Milano stated that he was “unreachable”.

It
was also stated that he was injured, but many believed it was a “diplomatic”
injury.

In
any case, the trio never showed up amidst the feud and Uruguay had to once
again present a relatively under-strength squad.

Paraguay,
Peru, Bolivia, and Venezuela rounded out the participants.

The
addition of the two new teams (USA and Mexico) led to a change in format of the
competition. The teams were placed in three Groups of four teams (in a
round-robin format). The top two teams
in each Group (along with the two best third placed teams) would then advance
to the next round, which would be disputed in elimination format
(Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Third place and Final).

It
had also been decided to do away with Overtimes and head straight into penalty
kick shoot-out in tied matches in the knockout rounds.

Gamavision
won the Television rights over Brazilian firm Traffic.

The
Tournament also had many high profile observers. Pele and Cesar Luis Menotti
were as part of the Media covering the matches for Television.

As
a special guest, Pele even received the keys City of Guayaquil from its Mayor.

In
Group A, Ecuador were grouped with Uruguay, USA and Venezuela. The matches
would take place in Quito’s Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa and Ambato’s Estadio Bellavista.

The
first round of matches in this Group took place on June 15th and 16th.

Ecuador kicked off the Tournament by hosting
Venezuela at Quito on June 15th.

This would be a mismatch and the hosts would
comfortably win (6-1) in front of their fans. The display of the hosts pleased
the crowd and observers alike, even though they were facing the weakest team on
the continent.

Angel
Fernandez scored a double and Alex Aguinaga (who would be a stand out for the
hosts) scored the sixth goal.

Venezuela’s
lone reply was from José Dolguetta (who surprisingly would end up as the top
goalscorer of the Tournament).

Photo
From: Soccer International, Volume 4,
Issue 4, September 1993

(June
15, 1993, Copa America, Ecuador
6-Venezuela 1)

Photo
From: France Football, Issue 2464, June
29, 1993

(June 15, 1993, Copa America, Ecuador 6-Venezuela 1)

On
the following day (June 16th) at Ambato, Uruguay hosted USA for the
first ever encounter vs. a North American Nation in the Copa America.

Both squads struggled, mostly due to the high
altitude (which most nations would point as a cause for general poor
performances).

The Americans would lose their Libero Desmond
Armstrong to injury just before halftime and his tournament was over.

He would be replaced by Jeff Agoos which led to a
reshuffle in tactics for the second half. Alexi Lalas would take Armstrong’s
spot as Libero. Paul Caligiuri was moved from the left back to midfield and
Agoos was moved to Caligiuri’s spot at the back.

Early in the second half (50th minute), Uruguay
snatched the win (1-0) when Santiago Ostolaza headed in a corner.

Photo
From: El Grafico Number 3847, 1993

(June
16, 1993, Copa America, Uruguay 1-USA 0)

Photo
From: France Football, Issue 2464, June
29, 1993

(June
16, 1993, Copa America, Uruguay 1-USA 0)

Photo
From: Soccer International, Volume 4,
Issue 4, September 1993

(June
16, 1993, Copa America, Uruguay 1-USA 0)

Despite the loss, this was USA’s best performance
in the Copa and USA Manager Bora Milutinovic was satisfied with
the performance. He felt USA lost due to a soliatry mistake in marking.

In a humorous episode during the match, Milutinovic
was angry at his players who were not following his instructions. At one point
he turned around to the armed Ecuadorian Police and jokingly told them to give
him their guns because he wanted to shoot his players.

Photo
From: Soccer International, Volume 4,
Issue 4, September 1993

(June 16, 1993, Copa America, Uruguay 1-USA 0)

The
next round of matches in the Group was days later on June 19th.
Ecuador hosted USA at Quito, while Uruguay and Venezuela faced one another at
Ambato.

Milutinovic
made some changes to the American squad from the previous match. Armstrong was
already out injured and Cle Kooiman would start as Libero. In addition,
Caligiuri, Woodring and Harbor were dropped to be replaced by John Doyle, Chris
Henderson and Bruce Murray.

Ecuador
confident after the high scoring win over Venezuela took the game to the
Americans.

They scored twice before halftime through Ney Raúl Avilés (11th minute) and Eduardo Hurtado (36th minute) and held on for their second win
(2-0) and qualify for the next round.

Photo
From: Soccer International, Volume 4,
Issue 4, September 1993

(June
19, 1993, Copa America, Ecuador 2-USA 0)

On the same day, Uruguay’s match vs. Venezuela appeared to be
a formality for the Uruguayans and the only question was just how many they
would score. The match became was a rude awakening to them. How much of it was
due to the high altitude/absence of foreign players/etc was hard to say.

Uruguay would fall behind twice before tying the match (2-2)
with little over ten minutes remaining. Venezuela’s José Dolguetta managed to
score once more for Venezuela.

The
final matches in this Group took place three days later (June 22nd)
at Quito. USA and Venezuela tied (3-3) one another in a very entertaining
match. The Americans had taken a (3-0) lead by the 52nd minute.
Though it must be said that their second goal by Peter Vermes (39th
minute) should not have been awarded, as the ball did not seem to have crossed
the line. They nevertheless appeared to be coasting for a win when they
capitulated due to fatigue.

José
Dolguetta would score twice (65th minute, 78th minute, 4th
goal overall). Venezuela’s Stalin Rivas was sent off in the 84th
minute to further disadvantage Venezuela. Despite this, Venezuela continued
attacking and were rewarded with a last minute equalizer by Miguel Echenaussi.

Milutonovic
was distraught after match and accepted blame for team’s performance. Despite
USA’s elimination, Milutinovic was satisfied with the experience of the
Tournament. He stated that he had learned much about the players and about what
he could expect from certain players.

Photo
From: El Grafico Number 3848, 1993

(June
22, 1993, Copa America, Venezuela 3-USA 3)

Photo
From: Historia de la Copa America

(June
22, 1993, Copa America, Venezuela 3-USA 3)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 55, August
1993

(June
22, 1993, Copa America, Venezuela 3-USA 3)

Photo
From: 94 Upper Deck World Cup

(Tab
Ramos, June 22, 1993, Copa America, Venezuela 3-USA 3)

Ecuador
finished off the Group with yet another win by defeating Uruguay (2-1). Alex
Aguinaga scored the winner just before the end for the hosts to finish with
maximum points.

Ecuador
and Uruguay qualified to the Quarterfinals round from the Group A, while
Venezuela were eliminated as the worst of the third place finishers.

Photo
From: El Grafico Number 3847, 1993

(June
22, 1993, Copa America, Ecuador 2-Uruguay 1)

Photo
From: Historia de la Copa America

(June
22, 1993, Copa America, Ecuador 2-Uruguay 1)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 55, August
1993

(June
22, 1993, Copa America, Ecuador 2-Uruguay 1)

The
only blot on Ecuador’s performances was off the field, when Draskovic was
forced to discipline a number of his players.

Players
had been given permission to see their families on Fathers’ Day. Holger
Quinonez and Ivan Hurtado did not return until the following morning (and
intoxicated). Ten other players arrived later than the specified time.

Draskovic
dismissed Quinonez and Hurtado from the squad and fined $200 each of the ten
players.

Quinonez
demanded why he and Hurtado were punished given the fact (according to him)
that other players were drunk as well.

Ivan
Hurtado apologized and was re-integrated, while Quinonez was left off the
squad.

The
Group B contained Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru (Paraguay and Peru happened
to be lodged at the same Hotel). The matches were played in Cuenca’s Estadio
Alejandro Serrano Aguilar.

The
high altitude of Cuenca would also affect the team’s performances.

Normally
Brazil should have won the group with much difficulty, but other teams could
exploit the fact that they were represented by mainly reserve and fringe
players unaccustomed to play as a unit.

Roberto
Cabanas had been called up in the last minute by Paraguay and immediately
appointed Captain. Paraguay’s Argentinean Manager Hector Corte had been fired
just days before the Tournament (many blamed Cabanas for that) and replaced
with Alicio Solalinde.

As
far as Chile, they were still waiting on Ivan Zamorano (still retained by Real
Madrid for League play).

The
matches kicked off on June 18th with Paraguay defeating Chile (1-0)
through an early goal by Cabanas (6th minute).

Photo
From: Don Balon, Chile Edicion, October
8-14, 1996

(June
18, 1993, Copa America, Paraguay 1-Chile 0)

Photo
From: Don Balon, Edicion Chile, April
16-22, 1996

(June
18, 1993, Copa America, Paraguay 1-Chile 0)

Photo
From: France Football, Issue 2464, June
29, 1993

(June
18, 1993, Copa America, Paraguay 1-Chile 0)

On
the same Brazil played Peru to a scoreless tie. Carlos Alberto Parreira was not
overly dismayed by the result. He stated “not possible to have a great team
when average age is 23…it’s also the first time they are playing
together…therefore why should I be surprised or disappointed by our game ….in
addition the problems of adapting to high altitude which made us suffer physically”.

Photo
From: France Football, Issue 2464, June
29, 1993

(June
18, 1993, Copa America, Brazil 0-Peru 0)

Photo
From: Soccer International, Volume 4,
Issue 4, September 1993

(June
18, 1993, Copa America, Brazil 0-Peru 0)

Three
days later on June 21st, Paraguay and Peru tied (1-1), while Chile
surprisingly defeated Brazil (3-2) through a double from the second half
substitute Richard Zambrano.

Taffarel
was dropped for this match, as he was off-form. It must be pointed out that he
had hardly played for Parma during the League season and was not match-fit.

1978,
1982 and 1986 World Cup veteran Carlos started in goal for Brazil.

Boiadeiro
and Zinho also started ahead of Luisinho and Elivelton.

Photo
From: Soccer International, Volume 4,
Issue 4, September 1993

(June
21, 1993, Copa America, Paraguay 1-Peru 1)

Photo
From: Soccer International, Volume 4,
Issue 4, September 1993

(June
21, 1993, Copa America, Chile 3-Brazil 2)

The
final round of matches in this Group took place on June 24th. Peru qualified to the next round (and won
the Group) by defeating Chile (1-0) through a penalty kick by Jose Del Solar
(14th minute).

Initially
Venezuela’s Alvaro Arbolada was to referee this match, however, the Colombian
Jose Torres replaced him, due an apparent car accident by Arbolada. Many did
not believe the accident excuse and believed Peru had influenced the decision.

For
Chile, This was Ivan Zamorano’s sole appearance in the Tournament.

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 55, August
1993

(June
24, 1993, Copa America, Peru 1-Chile 0)

Meanwhile,
Brazil were starting to slowly get into rhythm and defeated Paraguay (3-0)
through a double strike by Palhinha. They qualified as the second team in the
Group, while Paraguay advanced as well as one of the best Third place teams.

For
the third match running, Brazil started with a new goalkeeper (Zetti), while
the rest of the squad remained intact.

Brazil
would be without the suspended César
Sampaio for their quarterfinal round as he was sent off in this match (87th
minute).

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 55, August
1993

(June
24, 1993, Copa America, Brazil 3-Paraguay 0)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 62, March
1994

(June 24, 1993, Copa America, Brazil 3-Paraguay
0)

The
Group C contained Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico. The matches were
played in Machala’s Estadio Nueve de Mayo and Guayaquil’s Estadio Capwell.

The
Group kicked off on June 16th at Machala with Colombia taking on
CONCACAF’s Mexico. Colombia would be victorious (2-1) through a late goal through
Víctor Hugo Aristizábal. The opening goals were scored by two of the
revelations of the Copa. Adolfo Valencia (35th minute) had given
Colombia the lead, before Mexico’s Brazilian-born forward Luis Alberto Alves ‘Zague’
had tied the match (58th minute).

Colombia
were missing Faustino Asprilla, who had been promised a vacation by Pacho
Maturana.

Photo
From: El Grafico Number 3847, 1993

(June
16, 1993, Copa America, Colombia 2-Mexico 1)

On
the following day (June 17th), Argentina faced Bolivia at Guayaquil.

Argentina’s
Dario Franco (one of the heroes of the 1991 win) had his Tournament ended as
early as the 32nd minute as he suffered a double shin fracture after
a foul by Marco Sandy. He was replaced with Gustavo Zapata.

Conmebol
would authorize the Argentineans to replace him in the squad with José Horacio
Basualdo.

Argentina
did win the match (1-0) through a Batistuta goal (53rd minute), but
they hardly impressed.

Photo
From: El Grafico Number 3846, 1993

(June
17, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Bolivia 0)

Photo
From: France Football, Issue 2464, June
29, 1993

(June
17, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Bolivia 0)

Photo
From: 94 Upper Deck World Cup

(June
17, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Bolivia 0)

Photo
From: Soccer International, Volume 4, Issue 4, September 1993

(Argentina
squad, June 17, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Bolivia 0)

Argentina
Manager Alfio Basile was surprised by Bolivia, he felt they would have been
defensive and disorganized but took instead they took the game to them and
played in a collective manner (the credit would go to their new Spanish coach
Xabier Azkargorta).

After
their first match vs. Colombia, Mexico’s Luis Garcia was ordered back to Spain
to play for Atletico Madrid in the League by their controversial Club President
Jesus Gil. In contrast, Argentina had secured the release and presence of Diego
Simeone by threatening Sevilla with Legal Action.

Basile
made other modifications as well, with Franco out, Zapata started. Fabian Basualdo
started in defense in place of Altamirano, while Acosta made way for Simeone.

Mexico
would score early by David Patiño (14th minute) before Argentina Captain Oscar Ruggeri (28th
minute) tied the match.

Argentina
would once again play an indifferent match. Basile would blame the heat. He
stated “I asked my players to play for a tie, once I saw they were physically
exhausted and did not have the strength to launch attacks”.

He
would regard Argentina’s performance as “worst match since I am in charge”.

It
was reported that after the match, the Argentina players had gotten together to
air out their differences.

Photo
From: El Grafico Number 3846, 1993

(June
20, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Mexico 1)

Photo
From: World Soccer, August 1993

(June
20, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Mexico 1)

Photo
From: France Football, Issue 2464, June
29, 1993

(June
20, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Mexico 1)

The
final round of matches took place on June 23rd with Argentina vs.
Colombia and Mexico taking on Bolivia.

Mexico’s
matchup with Bolivia ended scoreless which enabled Mexico to advance to the
next round as the second best third placed team.

Mexico’s
Claudio Suarez would have to be replaced in the 65th minute after
another injury suffered at the hands of Marco Sandy, who had injured
Argentina’s Dario Franco just days before.

Basile
would make some changes for their match vs. Colombia. Jorge Borelli and
Altamirano were called up to replace Sergio Vazquez and Néstor Craviotto in defense. Upfront Claudio Garcia
made way for Ramon Medina Bello.

Both teams had already qualified for the next round
by the time they encountered.

The
match ended in a (1-1) tie with both goals coming in the first five minutes.
Diego Simeone gave Argentina the lead, while Rincon tied the match just minutes
later.

Freddy
Rincon would be sent off along with Argentina’s Redondo in the 49th
minute.

Argentina
once again struggled and Colombia were more dominant and perhaps deserved more
from the match. Argentina’s one bright spot had been Simeone that the observing
Italy Manager Arrigo Sacchi praised.

Photo
From: El Grafico Number 3847, 1993

(June
23, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Colombia 1)

The
quarterfinals took place on June 26th and 27th. On June
26th at Quito, the hosts Ecuador took on Paraguay.

The
hosts followed up their fine form from the first round to once again defeat an
opponent (3-0) in convincing fashion.

Ecuador
were already leading by two goals when Paraguay’s Estanislao Struway was sent
off for elbowing Alex Aguinaga, early in the second half. However, he refused
to leave the field for full five minutes, before being persuaded by Alfredo
Asfura of Paraguayan Federation.

To
make matters worse for Paraguay, their goalkeeper Chilavert flipped off the
crowd. In addition, the Paraguay Manager and players refused to attend the
mandatory post-match press conference (they were fined $5,000 as a result).

On
the same day at Guayaquil, Colombia faced Uruguay. Colombia were missing the
suspended Rincon but had Faustino Asprilla back in the squad and he would
appear in the second half of the match. He had arrived by a private jet (paid
from team’s sponsors) from his vacation spot (much to the dismay of Adolfo
Valencia, who had threatened to leave the squad).

Colombia
dominated the match but could not break through the Uruguay defense. Marcelo
Saralegui gave Uruguay the lead (68th minute) against the run of
play. Colombia managed to tie the match through Luis Perea just before the end.
For the first time a Copa America match was to be decided on a penalty kick
shoot-out. Colombia would win (5-3) in the shoot-out to move to the semifinals.

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Hors Serie 16, May
1994

(June
26, 1993, Copa America, Colombia 1-Uruguay 1)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 55, August
1993

(June
26, 1993, Copa America, Colombia 1-Uruguay 1)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 59, December
1993

(June
26, 1993, Copa America, Colombia 1-Uruguay 1)

Photo
From: 94 Upper Deck World Cup

(June
26, 1993, Copa America, Colombia 1-Uruguay 1)

Photo
From: Soccer International, Volume 4,
Issue 4, September 1993

(Uruguay
players, June 26, 1993, Copa America, Colombia 1-Uruguay 1)

Photo
From: kicker_WM-Sonderheft_1994

(Colombia
squad, June 26, 1993, Copa America, Colombia 1-Uruguay 1)

On
the following day (June 27th), Brazil and Argentina were paired at
Guayaquil.

For
the first time in the Tournament, Brazil played with the same goalkeeper,
Zetti. Luisinho started in midfield in place of the suspended Cesar Sampaio.

Basile
started José Basualdo in place of the suspended Redondo, while Nestor Gorosito
started ahead of the disappointing Leonardo Rodriguez.

Brazil
dominated as Argentina continued to struggle as they had before. Brazil took
the lead in the first half through Muller (37th minute). Leonardo
Rodríguez tied the match (69th minute) heading in a corner after
coming on as a substitute.

This
match also went to penalty kicks with Argentina eventually edging Brazil (6-5).
Despite advancing Argentina were far from convincing against an under-strength
Brazilian side.

For
Pele, Palhinha’s substitution was the reason for the loss. He said, “When Palhinha came out, Brazil had no
creators. Parreira made a mistake”.

Photo
From: Don Balon, Edicion Chile, April
30-May 6, 1996

(June
27, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Brazil 1)

Photo
From: El Grafico Number 3847, 1993

(June
27, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Brazil 1)

Photo
From: 94 Upper Deck World Cup

(June
27, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Brazil 1)

Photo
From: Historia de la Copa America

(June
27, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Brazil 1)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Hors Serie 16, May
1994

(June
27, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Brazil 1)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 55, August
1993

(June
27, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Brazil 1)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 61, February
1994

(June
27, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Brazil 1)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 63, April
1994

(June
27, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Brazil 1)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Hors Serie 16, May
1994

(Argentina
squad, June 27, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 1-Brazil 1)

The
last quarterfinal was on the same day (June 27th) at Quito with
Mexico taking on Peru.

After
10 minutes into the match, the Ecuador squad arrived at the stadium to sit in
the stands; the local crowd got up to salute their heroes.

As
far as the match, Mexico completely dominated Peru and were up (4-0) early in
the second half. Peru pulled a goal back through a Del Solar penalty kick (65th
minute). It was at this point that they exerted pressure and were rewarded with
a second goal near the end.

Photo
From: Libero, Issue 11, 1993 (IFFHS)

(June
27, 1993, Copa America, Mexico 4-Peru 2)

The
semifinals took place on June 30th and July 1st. On June
30th, Ecuador hosted Mexico at Quito under the rain.

Ecuador
President Sixto Duran Ballen had delayed his trip to the United States to watch
this match.

By
now, the home crowd expected their team to win with ease as confidence and
expectations had grown with each win.

Instead
the hosts perhaps cracked under the pressure and came down to earth. The
unfancied Mexicans dominated the first half and defeated the hosts (2-0). Hugo
Sanchez (24th minute) with a header and Ramon
Ramirez (55th minute) scored the goals to eliminate the hosts. In doing so,
against all odds Mexico became the first CONCACAF nation to reach the Final of
the Copa America.

On July 1st, Argentina faced Colombia at Guayaquil in the other
Semifinal, just days after their first round encounter.

For
Argentina José Basualdomade
way for Fernando Redondo back from suspension. Alberto Acosta started upfront
in place of Ramon Medina Bello.

Similarly,
Colombia had Freddy Rincon back in the squad. Pacho Maturana started with
Asprilla upfront instead of Adolfo Valencia.

Just
like in their previous encounter, Colombia were dominant as Argentina barely
had a shot on target and instead tried to contain the Colombians.

Argentina
could not take advantage even after Colombia’s Luis Perea was sent off (65th
minute) after a foul on Batistuta.

The
match ended scoreless and had to go to a penalty kick shoot-out. Sergio
Goycoechea once again displayed his customary penalty kick heroics as Argentina
advanced to the Final after winning (6-5) in the shoot-out.

Afterwards,
Argentina’s Diego Simeone was less than complimentary about the Colombians. He
said, “Colombians were arrogant and just gave knocks. Only Valderrama played
well, they should follow his example”.

Photo
From: Calcio 2000, Issue 21, July 1999

(July
1, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 0-Colombia 0)

Photo
From: Historia de la Copa America

(July
1, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 0-Colombia 0)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 55, August 1993

(July
1, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 0-Colombia 0)

Photo
From: Soccer International, Volume 4, Issue 4, September 1993

(July
1, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 0-Colombia 0)

Photo
From: El Grafico Number 3848, 1993

(July
1, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 0-Colombia 0)

Argentina
were now to meet another one of their First Round Group opponents (Mexico) in
the Final.

On
July 3rd, the third place match took place at Portoviejo and the
more experienced Colombians defeated the hosts (1-0) through an Adolfo Valencia strike (84th minute).

Photo
From: Historia de la Copa America

(July 3, 1993, Copa America, Ecuador 0-Colombia
1)

On July 4th, Argentina and Mexico faced one
another for the Final at Guayaquil.

For
the first time in the Tournament Argentina presented an unchanged side.

As
far as the match, Argentina without impressing came away victorious (2-1) to
repeat as Copa America Champions (their 14th overall).

Gabriel
Batistuta scored twice, taking advantage of the few openings he had to lead his
side to victory. In the 63rd minute, he took advantage of a
clearance to beat Campos one on one.

Mexico
tied the match just minutes later (67th minute) through a spot kick
by Benjamin Galindo (awarded after Goycoechea had fouled Zague in the box).

Batituta
scored the winner in the 74th minute, after receiving a long
throw-in and going around a defender to score.

Photo
From: Historia de la Copa America

(Team
captains, July 4, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 2-Mexico 1)

Photo
From: Soccer International, Volume 4,
Issue 4, September 1993

(both
squads, July 4, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 2-Mexico 1)

Photo
From: Libero, Issue 11, 1993 (IFFHS)

(July
4, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 2-Mexico 1)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Hors Serie 16, May
1994

(July
4, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 2-Mexico 1)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 59, December
1993

(July
4, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 2-Mexico 1)

Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 55, August
1993

(July
4, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 2-Mexico 1)

Photo
From: El Grafico Number 3848, 1993

(July
4, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 2-Mexico 1)

Photo
From: France Football, Issue 2465, July
6, 1993

(July
4, 1993, Copa America, Argentina 2-Mexico 1)

Argentina’s
experience had won out but their victory was not memorable. In 1991, they had
gained admirers for their style and grace. In this edition, they were virtually
outplayed in every match. They had been fortunate to win matches through
Goycoechea’s penalty kick stopping talent, as well Batistuta’s opportunism in
front of the goal.

Basile
stated “in Chile (1991), we were much more better prepared than here”.

Some
felt Argentina were looking ahead to the World Cup qualifiers and this may have
affected their play, Basile himself had made that point.

In
1991, Leonardo Rodriguez had been one of Argentina’s breakout stars, but he was
anonymous in this edition and was constantly substituted during matches before
losing his starting spot in the knockout stages.

Before
the Final, Argentina’s former Manager Cesar Luis Menotti had stated “Argentina
is like Germany, always present when it matters and capable of winning by even
playing badly” (his prediction bore out).

Incidentally,
this remains Argentina’s last title of any kind to date.

The
finalists Mexico were the surprise of the Tournament and were praised for their
tactics and collective play.

Colombia,
likewise, were perhaps the most technical team in the competition and with a
little luck would have been triumphant. They had outplayed Argentina in both
their matches and would soon oversee Argentina’s implosion in the World Cup qualifiers
(…but that is another story).

Adolfo
Valencia’s displays earned him a transfer to Bayern Munich.

Cesar
Luis Menotti singled out Rincon as the best player of the Tournament.

As hosts, Ecuador gave a good account of themselves
on the field, with the likes of Capurro and Aguianga standing out (both
mentioned by Menotti among others). The work of Dusan Draskovic was praised as
well and the success on the field was regarded as a stepping-stone to qualify
for the World Cup in the near future. Though, many critics believed that
Ecuador benefited from playing matches at high altitude.

Not
much could have been expected from Brazil’s supporting cast, though Zetti in
the net stood out. On the trip home, Zetti contracted Cholera by eating shrimp
on the plane.

Cafu
in defense earned praise as well, but Palhinha was considered the pick of the
Brazilians.

Pele
and Tele Santana, among others, criticized Carlos Alberto Parreira’s decision
to field a weakened team. Santana believed Parreira’s strategy of using three
different squads foe three different competitions (US Cup, Copa America, World
Cup qualifiers) “could only un-motivate players”.

For
Pele, the Copa America would have been the “ideal preparation for the World Cup
qualifiers”.

The
integration of USA and Mexico had worked well and this tradition has continued
to this day.

Needless
to say, there were some criticisms concerning the Tournament.

The
heat of 11:00 AM kickoff time to accommodate Television did not improve
performances, coupled with playing matches at high altitude that virtually all
teams complained about.

Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Goycoechea stated “In this affair we are marionettes for Television”.

Most
Nations did not send their strongest squads (save the Ecuadorian hosts) as they
had their minds on the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Argentina
presented a strong squad but clearly were saving themselves for the World Cup
qualifiers.

Stars
such as Francescolli, Sosa, Zamorano, Asprilla, either did not show up or came
while the Tournament was well underway. Ivan Zamorano arrived on a Monday and
left on that Friday following Chile’s elimination.

Conmebol
and the Federations could have demanded foreign clubs to release players per
FIFA regulations, but in most cases chose not to. They either did not want to
jeopardize the individual players chances with their employers, as well as not
wanting to damage chances for future transfers to Europe (and much needed
cash).

Photo
From: Soccer International, Volume 4,
Issue 4, September 1993

(Ecuador
President Sixto Duran Ballen)

Ecuador
President Sixto Duran Ballen was criticized for showing lukewarm interest to
the sport but “converting” and exploiting the Tournament for political
expediency.

Ticket
prices in general were considered too high for the average Ecuadorian.

This
may have been the reason why the stadium was only half full for the Final
(though many also believed it was also because the hosts did not qualify for
the Final).

The
Brazilian Federation demanded the Copa America to be played every four years to
avoid fixture congestion like this particular year, but Conmebol refused and
confirmed that at least until the year 2000, the two year intervals would be
the rule.